In densely populated areas, real estate space is often available only at a premium or of limited square footage which may be on different levels or stories. Thus, it would be desirable in some situations for a quick-service restaurant to operate with a cooking or preparation area on a separate floor from a dining or serving area. A need therefore exists for an efficient, fast, safe and reliable system for transporting packaged food items from the cooking or preparation floor to the dining or serving floor.